2017

American Society for Public Administration

(ASPA)

Conference Attendance 

IPPAM

ALUMNI 

SCHOLARSHIP

REPORT

2016-17

IPPAM Alumni Scholarship Report 2016-17

Table of Contents

Message from Dr. Joyce Mann and Dr. Joanna Yu               2

About ASPA and the Conference                                            3 

Attendee Reflections:                                                                               Bogelajiang (Bugra) Arkin                                       

Meng-Yu (Astrid) Li                                               Bakhytzhan Oskeyeva                                                Shin Horiguchi                                                 Aigerim (Rimma) Uskembayeva                               Ahmad Waleed Majidyar                                           Yao Chang (Carlos) Yeh                                           Giovanni Zuniga                                          

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THANK YOU

Your generous gift makes it possible for current IPPAM students to participate in theconference.

We greatly appreciate your continued support and the powerful impact it has on our students.

              

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Thank you for your generous donation to the International Public Policy and

Management Program. It means so much to us. Because of you, we can provide

growth-enriching opportunities for our students. Their attendance at the ASPA

Conference in various locations throughout the U.S. allows them to gain so

much knowledge and awareness of government-related topics that enhance their

careers critically, advance their professional development, expande their

professional network, increase their awareness of the challenges government

faces on all levels, and awaken their interest in searching for collaborative,

innovative solutions to society’s pressing needs.

We are so lucky to have you as a donor. Thank you for investing in our program

and our students. Your generous gift will continue to go to good use. We will

update you throughout the year with program announcements and special events.

Message from Dr. Joyce Mann and Dr.  Joanna Yu

Sincerely yours,

Joyce Mann                                                Joanna C. Yu

Director, International Education Programms

International Public Policy and Management Program

Sol Price School od Public Policy

University of Southern California 

Director, Academic 

International Public Policy and Management Program

Sol Price School od Public Policy

University of Southern California 

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About ASPA

The American Society for Public Administration is the largest and most prominent

professional association for public administration. It is dedicated to advancing the

art, science, teaching and practice of public and non-profit administration. ASPA’s

four core values are Accountability and Performance, Professionalism, Ethics and

Social Equity.

Since 1939, ASPA has been the nation's most respected society representing all

forums in the public service arena.  It is an advocate for greater effectiveness in

government - agents of goodwill and professionalism - publishers of democratic

journalism at its very best - purveyors of progressive theory and practice and

providers of global citizenship. ASPA leaders believe that by embracing new ideas,

addressing key public service issues and promoting change at both the local and

international levels, the association can enhance the quality of lives worldwide.

In order to remain prepared and current on the evolving changes and innovations,

the ASPA 2016 Conference in Seattle showcased state-of-the-art practices utilized

in modern public and nonprofit administration while exploring new approaches and

opportunities for continued innovation.

The theme, New Traditions in Public Administration: Reflecting on Challenges,

Harnessing Opportunities, embraces the evolution of the public sector,

development of new skills, practices and traditions while solidifying time-proven

approaches. 

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Bugra Arkin is from northwestern

China as Uyghur minority. After

getting his B.A in Petroleum and

Chemistry from Liaoning University,

Bugra returned to the Xinjiang Uyghur

Autonomous Region and worked in

the marketing sector for education

development, where he managed

government projects on education

database system and online

education. Bugra is currently

completing his master’s degree in the

International Public Policy and

Management program in order to gain

more practical knowledge and

experience in the field of policy

analysis and public-private

partnership.

Bogelajiang (Bugra)

Arkin

It was a great opportunity to attend the 78th ASPA annual conference in Atlanta,

Georgia.  I have the chance to be able to attend a conference where the best and the

brightest people in my field can come together to share their ideas, breakthroughs,

passions, and enthusiasms. This is the place to rub elbows with kindred spirits, like-

minded colleagues, and those who can help you get to the top. One of the most

interesting panels I attended was titled “Improve Government Performance,” and the

discussion was mainly about how to strengthen state competitiveness, implement proper

regulation for the citizens, and enhance the relationship between public and private

sectors. I was so excited that I had a chance to sit with many experts in the public policy

field. I learnt that even The United States of America is the best country in the world,

although many potential problems are appearing, and those dedicated professors doing

research and propose their solution to governance that prevent those issues. On the 3rd

day of ASPA, I attended the speech given by the former governor of Virginia and the

first African-American in the United States to become a US governor, Douglas Wilder. I

was impressed by his enthusiasm for the country’s growth, his desire to improve the

environment for the vulnerable groups, and his hope for young people.  He was hugely

successful in balancing the budget and increasing the revenues for the state. I feel like

his experience of being a minority in a position of authority, as well as successfully

managing the business aspects of the state, will be of great help to me. Against the

backdrop of such unpredictable global public policy trends, I wholeheartedly agree

when governor Douglas Wilder said: “Once we have faith to improve education, once

we build a great environment for children, strengthen the democracy that provides equal

right to people, we can overcome any difficult circumstances in the future.”

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Meng-Yu Li (Astrid) graduated from

Ming Chuan University in Taipei, where

she studied urban planning and

disaster management. As a student,

Astrid led her chorus group,

volunteered with elementary school

students, and was the chief editor of

the senior yearbook. Outside of school,

Astrid worked as an intern with private

and public organizations to help them

develop disaster response plans and

understand the risks in their regions.

After graduation, she worked full time

with Yilan County on a government

disaster reduction plan. At IPPAM,

Astrid wants to master the skills

required to encourage sustainable land

use planning across the world.

Meng-Yu (Astrid)

Li

At ASPA, one interesting panel to me was “Taiwan’s Local governance,

collaborative participation and public service about disaster resilience: Taiwan

versus Japan.” Professor Hong-Cheng Liu described the role of citizens and the

government, and how we could reduce the possibility of disaster happening. In

Taiwan, there are four phases in Disaster Risk Management: mitigation,

preparedness, respond, and recovery. The professor thinks preparedness is the

most significant one. Currently, there are numerous multi-disaster in Taiwan, and

this issue remains unsolved. Additionally, Professor Liu found that accountability

in disaster risk management departments is ambiguous. The Taiwanese

government also needs to figure out how to improve risk assessment while

developing sustainably. On the contrary, disaster risk management in Japan is

structured and unambiguous, especially after the 311 Earthquake. The Japanese

government has an emergency backup system. Learning from Japan, the

Taiwanese government needs to: first, improve policies concerning multi-disasters.

Second, construct a disaster response plan. Third, increase public awareness. Last

but not least, develop infrastructure that could withstand multi-disasters.  

The ASPA conference really was the best place to learn about the pressing

environmental issues we are facing all over the world. Through it, I was informed

of the opinions of experts in the fields, which enabled me to bridge my knowledge

and the real world. 

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Oskeyeva Bakhytzhan was a head

expert for the Committee of Customs

Control. In this capacity, Oskeyeva

developed and taught strategies for

customs officers to improve their

effectiveness. Prior to this, Oskeyeva

worked as a lawyer and as a chief

instructor for the Academy of Financial

Police. As chief instructor, Oskeyeva

earned several honors for her

outstanding service. After receiving the

Bolashak Scholarship, Oskeyeva

decided to attend IPPAM to learn how

to be a better public servant and

improve her home country

Kazakhstan.

The 78th Annual ASPA Conference, held in Atlanta, Georgia, was a lively and

thriving experience. Many highly regarded academic institutions and scholars

and dedicated public servants participated in this conference.

Attending this event with IPPAM staff members and my classmates was an

unforgettable and unique experience. The conference offered eleven sections.

As a representative of the Ministry of Finance, I was especially interested in the

sections on “Budgeting, Financial Management and Procurement,” “Policy

Analysis, Implementation and Evaluation,” and “Comparative Public

Administration.” I also attended the panel on the Regional Hub of Civil Service

in Astana, Kazakhstan, with presenters Alikhan Baimenov (Kazakhstan),

Catherine Kardava (Georgia), Almaz Nasyrov (Kyrgyzstan). I also participated

in the Founders Fellowship Foundation panels, where young scholars

exchanged their ideas and knowledge. It was very important to me to learn the

best international practices and civil service models from all over the world

during these sessions.

I believe that attending the 2017 ASPA Conference helped enhanced my

academic performance because it provided me with new ideas that I will apply

during my future career, and make my own contribution to the development

and prosperity of the future of Kazakhstan, as well as to research projects. The

Conference also gave me the chance to travel to a new city and explore a

different environment. I express my gratitude to the IPPAM scholarship donors

for giving me the incredible opportunity to be a part of this important event.

Backytzhan

Oskeyeva

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Shin Horiguchi works as Deputy Director

for the Nuclear Regulation Authority in

Japan. As director, Shin organized the

Japanese delegation for the 2016 Nuclear

Security Summit. Shin also led the team

that surveyed and assessed the causes

and consequences of the Fukushima

disaster. Prior to this, Shin worked with

the Ministry of Economy, Trade and

Industry and the Agency for Natural

Resources and Energy. He intends to use

his extensive knowledge of both nuclear

law and science to reorganize Japan’s

nuclear energy system and provide stable

nuclear energy for the world as a whole.

I had a chance to attend the American Society for Public Administration

(ASPA) annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia from March 17-21, 2017. I had

the honor of attending as one of the IPPAM students. During the wonderful

conference, I learned a lot of comprehensive issues related to public

administration from various panels, workshops, presidential discussions, and

the opening plenary and remark by Susan T. Gooden, who is the president of

ASPA and Professor, Public Administration and Policy, Wilder School of

Government and Public Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth University. There are

various themes such as “Human Resources, Leadership and Public

Management”, “Homelessness Affordable Housing and Brides to

Independence”, and “Collaborative Governance Networks: Power, Trust and

Micro-Level Processes” discussed in the conference. I have learned different

aspects of public administration from these discussions. For example,

affordable housing for homeless people is related to not only the federal and

private sector, but also the non-private organization sector. In addition to this,

there is consortium of more than 100 stakeholders from over 50 public, private

and faith-based community organizations. The professor mentioned that the

drastic policy on homelessness was shifted from federal level to the local level.

One of the Professors also used several ways to analyze the homeless housing

problems they want to resolve for chronically homeless people. I was very

impressed because I focused on the homeless housing problems in Los Angeles

and did a case study on social entrepreneurship class in USC. This is one of the

precious themes I learned at the panels. I would like to make use of what I

learned at ASPA in my future workplace.

Shin

Horiguchi

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The 77th Annual American Society for Public Administration Conference took

place from March 18 – 22nd 2016 in the beautiful city of Seattle. I attended a panel

on “Ethics, Corruption Control and Management in Developing Countries,” where

our IPPAM professor, Dr. Rym Kaki, presented “Keeping Development NGOs ‘In

Check’: An Integrated Framework Proposal to Manage DNGO Accountabilities -

Lessons from Tunisia.” Her presentation discussed the experience of developing

countries in relation to the steady expansion of NGO services. I’ve learned that

Kazakhstan, as a vastly developing country, needs to promote a development-

oriented NGO approach on enforcing grassroots development, especially in the

regions fostering the development of marginalized segments of the population. I had

the opportunity to support IPPAM 17 student and fellow Kazakh student Darkhan

Zhiyenbay, who have presented his research on “When Helpful Policy Is Ignored:

Healing the Rift between Governance and Entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan and

Beyond.” His research was based on enhancing economic growth that can be

achieved by promoting competition, entrepreneurship and innovation in the

southern region of Kazakhstan. I learned that this can be a governmental strategy in

reducing unemployment, particularly among youth. The ASPA LGBT Advocacy

Alliance Section honored USC Sol Price of Public Policy professor Chester A.

Newland with the “Visionary Award”, and he gave a memorable speech on true

educational value, and the purpose and meaning of life. I’ve been inspired by his

philosophical vision and perception of life; he called on people to learn to have

respect for civilization, value diversity, and search for human dignity and reason. 

Rimma Uskembayeva is a public servant at

the Ministry of Transport and

Communications of the Republic of

Kazakhstan. She holds two academics

degrees – a jurisprudence from Kazakh

Humanities and Law University and a

bachelor’s degree om Financial

Management from Shakarim State

University of Semey. Rimma decided to

pursue a degree in International Policy to

better equip herself in her role as a public

servant in Kazakhstan. 

Aigerim (Rimma)

Uskembayeva

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Ahmad Waleed Majidyar is the director of

investment promotion for the

Afghanistan Investment Support Agency,

where he has helped direct more than

two billion USD in investments to

Afghanistan. At the same time, Ahmad

has consulted for the Pace Group of

Companies where he developed

strategies that were critical in helping

Pace maintain their lead in Southwest

Asian markets. Ahmad speaks four

languages and possesses a Master of

Business Administration degree from

Cardiff Metropolitan University as well as

a Bachelor’s degree in English language

and literature from Kabul University.

Ahmad intends to use his knowledge and

experience to draw more foreign aid and

foreign expertise to his home country of

Afghanistan.

As I expected, attending the ASPA 2016 conference gave me a unique

experience that I would never have received otherwise. I have met

professionals and practitioners in public and non-profit administration from

many different institutions. As a public service practitioner, I really enjoyed

the panels and discussions that I attended at ASPA, such as “Advancements in

Energy Policy,” “Criminal Justice Matters in Public Administration,”

“Rethinking Anti-Corruption Research,” and “Dealing with Corruption at the

Local Level in China”. These sessions have expanded my understanding of

processes in public management. The session “Issues in Public Procurement”

was especially interesting to me, because public procurement is probably the

most problematic and corrupt field in Kazakhstan. All of these sessions were

helpful in connecting knowledge with practice in my studies at IPPAM and for

my future career. I also had a great opportunity to meet a public official from

Kazakhstan - Alikhan Baimenov, who ran for president in 2005. I also had the

opportunity to meet a scholar from New York that studies corruption issues

within law enforcement, and discuss with him his research and organization.

This is what makes the ASPA experience so unique, and I hope I will be able

to attend the conference again next year.

Ahmad Waleed

Majidyar

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Yao Chang Yeh (Carlos) works as a senior

project manager in the election

department for Phalaenopsis, a Taiwanese

political consulting and marketing

agency. Carlos is the co-author of a book

on campaign strategy in Taiwan and is an

expert in political media strategy. Prior to

working at Phalaenopsis, Carlos was the

project manager for the 2013 Yunlin

Agricultural Expo, which had an

attendance of nearly a million visitors and

an economic impact of roughly 100

million dollars. Carlos also served in the

Taiwan Army where he achieved the rank

of Corporal, leading over 100 soldiers and

managing more than 500 tons of

munitions. Outside of work, Carlos enjoys

a litany of hobbies including playing Go,

DJ’ing, writing, and swimming.

The 2017 ASPA conference offered a particular track of Environmental

Sustainability, Climate Change, and Technology, as I plan to research related topics

for my thesis in the future. Attending the 2017 ASPA conference not only exposed

me to the latest studies and academic discussions in these fields, but also allow me

to network and enhance my communication skills. This conference provided an

important opportunity for me to get closer to both my short-term goal, which is

writing a thesis about environmental policy in Taiwan and my long-term career goal

of becoming a policy advisor who specializes in agricultural and environmental

issues.  I was surprised that some panels are related to Taiwanese public

administration which was not shown on the website. The panels gave me chances to

understand the current situation in my home country and the opportunities to talk to

the academics from Taiwan.

The exciting moment of the 2017 ASPA conference for me was Douglas Wilder

giving a distinguish speech to discuss “Public Policy and America Today,” who

served as the first African-American governor since Reconstruction. Wilder pointed

out that the scholars should take the responsibility to unite the country in this

divided political climate. He also emphasized the importance and impact of citizen

involvement.

Yao Chang (Carlos)

Yeh

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Giovanni Zuniga attained a Bachelor’s

degree in political science from California

State University, Northridge in 2016. He

has interned for Senator Bob Hertzberg of

California’s 18th district. He has also

interned on Capitol Hill for Congressman

Blumenauer of Portland Oregon’s 3rd

district. Giovanni has a keen interest in

politics and world government and is

looking to apply his public policy

education to an international setting after

graduation. Mr. Zuniga has a passion for

fighting for better systems of government

in less represented and developed nations

particularly in Latin America where his

parents witnessed a great need for social

justice in Guatemala. He is also a huge

Laker fan that acknowledges it will be a

long road back to the glory days. 

Taking part in the 2017 ASPA conference was a tremendous pleasure. The

conference provided panels, seminars and lectures on a bevy of governmental and

educational fields. I took full advantage of these presentations and visited as many

programs that I could during my time at the session. I partook in discourses such

as; immigration reform in the United States, funding for education in the states,

president Trump’s policy objectives, as well as disaster management in the

aftermath of a natural disaster. The lectures alone made for a tremendous trip.

However, the highlight of the occasion was having the opportunity to sit next to the

former Governor of Virginia, and first African American to hold the title in sate

Douglas Wilder. The governor was being honored for his time during office. Prior

to this encounter a few of my cohorts and I had just had the amazing experience of

visiting Dr. Martin Luther King’s birth home. Personally experiencing the home of

one of world’s most influential men was awe-inspiring. I envisioned the home back

in the late 50’s and 60s and thought about what great strides this country has made

dealing with racism and social justice for all citizens. Progresses that was due in

large part to the efforts of Dr. King, it truly was inspirational to take in the venue in

person. Soon after this unforgettable moment, my wonderful cohorts and I went

back to ASPA conference awaiting to witness Governor Wilder speak. Before I

knew it a large group of seemingly important officials of some sort situated next to

my colleagues and me. I then notice an energetic and kind man extend his hand to

me and introduced himself as Governor Wilder. I sat next to the governor

throughout the presentation. Afterwards, my cohorts and I spoke to him briefly and

took a picture that I intend to frame in the IPPAM office, if allowed. I am truly

grateful for having the opportunity to participate in the ASPA conference. My

fellow cohorts and I had an unforgettable time.

Giovanni

Zuniga